ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pit · deal · vault · fall · clip · key · pound · arm

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. key — the most important part
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. key — for a lock
  8. clip — a video
  9. fall — to drop
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pit — a hole
  12. key — in music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. vault — a safe
  15. deal — to handle
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fall — the season
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pit — in a race
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com